1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the art of sizing and separating solids from a liquid or slurry. More particularly, the invention relates to the art of screening particulate materials by utilizing motorized means to cause a screening apparatus to vibrate and lead to greater efficiency of separation.
2. Description of Related Art
Wet fine particle sizing and separating apparatus have been used to size and separate particles having a size of from about 8 mesh (3 mm) to about 400 mesh (38 microns). These apparatus have been utilized in grinding mills in the separation of gangue from heavy minerals such as iron ore, tin, and the like, and also in residue removal from kaolin slurry.
Most prior art wet fine sizing and separating apparatus have utilized only one or two screens disposed horizontally or at a slight incline, with the screens being housed in a relatively large apparatus. The large apparatus take up valuable processing space, while the use of only one or two screens limits the capacity of material that can be processed.
Attempts have been made to solve the longstanding problems of large apparatus size and limited capacity by vertically stacking several screens within a single apparatus. In this configuration, each screen independently sized and separated material. However, the prior art apparatus fed the material onto each screen through only a single inlet. Deflectors were used adjacent to and above the screens in an attempt to evenly distribute the material on the screens. Since the fine particles being processed were wet, feeding the material onto the screen via a single inlet failed to result in optimal spreading of the material over the screen, reducing the efficiency and effectiveness of the sizing and separating operation.
Accordingly, it is desirable to develop an apparatus for wet fine particle sizing and separating, which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art and exhibits increased capacity in a compact assembly.